Curry: History and Recipe

Curry is a delicious Asian seasoning with an interesting history, and multiple uses. Today I am sharing my own curry blend. So, what prompted me to do this? After all, you can buy curry in the store, right? Well, I thought, I already make my own chili powder, and garam masala why not make my own curry? It’s that simple.

Curry is not a single spice, but a blend.

Varieties of curry differ from region to region not only in flavor, but also in color, pungency and aroma. The word curry is the anglicized version of the Tamil (oldest written Indian language) word kari, meaning stew.

Curry has a rich history, too

Curry is considered one of the world’s oldest seasonings, with documented evidence of a similar mixture being used in ancient Mesopotamia. Although curry is mostly associated with India, many other countries in the Asian continent have a multitude of curry dishes in their culinary repertoire.

Thai food, for example, has many dishes that use red and or green curry. My daughter travels extensively throughout Thailand and raves about the curries. Next summer I will be spending three weeks with her savoring all the wondrous curry dishes I have heard about, and can almost taste. I can’t wait!

Why is curry so gold?

Curry derives its intense golden hue from turmeric, similar to ginger. Buddhist monks use it to dye their robes. Formerly saffron was used for this purpose, but given its rising cost, turmeric was found to be an acceptable substitute. Tamil women dye their hands and soles of their feet with turmeric for wedding ceremonies. This practice is akin to the use of henna by Middle Eastern women.

A little curry lesson

I recently received an extensive lesson on types of curries in Asia. How did they spread east? How do different countries enjoy curry given diet influenced by both religious and environmental constraints? My source for this wealth of information is a dear Japanese colleague who is an authority on Asian Studies and Cultures. “Did you know”, my friend said “that because the British introduced curry to Japan, the Japanese were, for a long time, under the impression that curry was a western dish?” I had no idea!

Curry dishes in Northern India are very different from those in Southern India. In Northern India, curry sauces are made with yogurt, whereas those in southern India use coconut milk. Why? Well, northern India is mountainous and developed largely as pastoral societies. Southern India, on the other hand, is mainly vegetarian and has an abundance of palm trees. Religious dietary laws also come into play.

So, what are you waiting for? Get blending. And, of course feel free to add your own spin. That’s what it’s all about!

Nutmeg, clove and Cardomam are part of Garam masala and never used in curry powder as these spices are considered hot and adds heat. Curry powder spices and not hot (Garam ) but give cooling effect to body. you could add 1 tsp fenugreek, Garlic, some lentils like toor Dal, Chana Dal and urad dal.

This is so neat! I didn’t know about the Buddhist monks using turmeric to dye their robes! Thanks for sharing with us at the Merry Monday link party. I hope you’ll join us again next week. Sharing your post on Twitter!

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Hi, I’m Analida

I have been researching and creating ethnic recipes for over 20 years. I love to share "mostly healthy" easy and affordable ethnic recipes using fresh ingredients, with a bit of culture and food history sprinkled in....
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